“The others won’t mess with you once you prove you belong,” Gabe offers with a shrug. I know he’s trying to be helpful but I suddenly want to backhand his shoulder. His comment doesn’t help me now.
“Well, seeing as I haven’t done that yet…” I let out an exasperated sigh as I search the room for hiding places. “Could you maybe just wait in the hall for a few minutes?” It would be crazy of me to blindly trust him more than I already have.
I wait for him to leave and offer me privacy before pulling all the items from my remaining suitcases and tucking them into the mattress. Hopefully any would-be thieves don’t realize how extra full and lumpy my beds now appear, because I truly have no better option. At least for now. This sucks.
“Ready,” I say, striding out into the hall and joining my guide.
He doesn’t offer me his hand again. Perhaps he’s thought better of it, or perhaps he’s just as nervous about being around me as I am him.
“There’s not much to navigate,” he admits as we reach the staircase and head down to the lower level, “but it’s still good to see your way around before the halls fill with other students rushing everywhere.”
We head outside to the quad and pass a few other students. All eyes dart toward me and stay there an uncomfortably long time. It’s tempting as hell to check out the other alphas, especially because many are just as attractive as Gabe… even Beau. I choose to ignore them, though, rather than meet the challenge head-on. They’d only see me as competition.
“Are classes still going on right now?” I ask, filling the silence lingering between us. I can feel Gabe’s attention burning into my skin.
“There are a few late classes and study groups,” Gabe explains, “but most finish up around four.”
We reach the main hall, and Gabe strides in without offering to hold the door open for me. With shock, I realize he’s treating me like a fellow alpha. So, chivalry is definitely dead in this strange new world. Now the best I can hope for is to be treated with respect rather than admiration. Unless I can prove I’m not one of them…
“That’s Johnny Sorokin. He’s the biggest prick in this place, so I’d suggest staying clear.” He murmurs the words, motioning in front of us.
“Bigger than Beau? Are you sure?” I scoff as I take in the brute with a shaved head, narrow, calculating eyes, and hands curled into tight fists. He’s wearing the uniform, but has torn the sleeves off the dress shirt and wrapped the tie around his head like some kind of martial arts band.
Gabe turns to me with a hollow expression. “Much. You’re lucky he didn’t see you just now.”
My eyes find Johnny again. He now has a much smaller student pressed up against the lockers as he pushes into him from behind. I can’t tell whether they’re about to fuck or fight, and perhaps that’s the point.
We keep moving down the hall until Gabe stops outside a classroom. “Professor Michaels. Power and Control.”
I scrunch my nose. “How did you know that was on my schedule?”
“Because it’s mandatory. There are no electives here at Drakewood. They give us what they most think we’ll need. As far as The Warden is concerned, we’re all criminals here.” He remains expressionless, gauging my reaction.
I want to protest that I’m no criminal, when I remember I just admitted to murdering my own sister. “Beggars can’t be choosers,” I agree in a whisper.
“Right,” is all he says before continuing down the hall and motioning for me to follow. A study group lets out, and several more students pour into the narrow hallway. They offer me questioning glances but don’t speak.
“Why isn’t anyone bothering us?” It’s eerie and confusing, especially after how Beau confronted me the second I crashed into him. He proved to be the type to do so regardless of the situation.
“Out of respect for Beau.” Respect? Is he joking?
I wonder how that asshole earned enough respect to even cover my ass with Gabe. “But he’s not here.”
“Yeah, but I am. And everyone knows that if we both make it out of here, he and I will go to the same pack. They don’t want trouble from him, so they don’t give it to me. It’s all about balance. You’ll learn that in Power and Control actually. We’ll have that one together even though I’m second term and you’re first. Since the program is only one year long, they alternate what’s offered each semester so they can admit students on a rotating basis. Pretty smart, actually.” He pauses before another door. “This one’s Professor Marcellus, Anger Management.”
I stare at him with a deadpan expression. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He beams back down at me before moving on. “Nope. Anyone who gets committed for a violent crime has to take it. Beau will be in that one with you.”
I groan and tighten my mouth, trying to disguise my disgust. “Awesome.”
Chuckling, Gabe gets me to keep moving. We pass more students without incident and he shows me to all of my classes before taking me to the second level of the building. I hadn’t even realized there was a second level.
“What’s up here?” I ask as we stroll by what appears to be a series of storage units along with a small library full of paperbacks.
Gabe keeps going until he reaches the end of the hall, then motions to the lone open . “A bit off the beaten path. But this is where you’ll come for Omega Studies with Professor Hudson.”
Omega Studies. Suddenly my senses are flooded with the memories of this professor. Theoden. My brain refuses to think of the male omega as my professor. He’s the one who brought me here, and something about him sent me into a tailspin. He’s far too hot. Just thinking about his berry scent and how it morphed to something gourmand with his lust for me—fuck me. I wonder if Gabe can catch a whiff of me now.